Red Sox sign Esteban Quiroz, Mexican League second baseman

We’re still waiting for the Red Sox to start their offseason with big moves, though they did make an under-the-radar signing on Tuesday. Boston added to their second base depth by signing Esteban Quiroz out of the Mexican League. If that name isn’t familiar to you, don’t feel bad, though you may have seen him play this spring if you followed the World Baseball Classic at all. The 25-year-old infielder started at second base for the Mexican National Team and hit a couple of home runs in the tournament.

Quiroz is small in stature and he’s listed at 5’7” and 175 pounds, a fact that has led to some comparisons to Jose Altuve. Obviously, we can’t expect anything close to that level of success, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Quiroz has had some success in the Mexican League, showing off a strong hit tool and surprising power for his size. Over the last three seasons, he’s posted batting averages no lower than .293 and OPS’s no lower than .845. His best year was 2016 when he hit .335/.449/.522. It’s worth noting that most consider the Mexican League as a near-equivalent to Triple-A, though those kind of comparisons are never perfect.

Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox are no strangers to signings out of Mexico, of course, as they brought in Hector Velazquez last year. That signing ended up being surprisingly solid for the team as a whole as Velazquez played a real role as a depth piece in Boston. Quiroz’ deal was a minor-league one, though reports indicate that he’ll be invited to spring training. It’s hard to say for sure where he’ll start on the second base depth chart, but he’s now part of a large group who can take over while Dustin Pedroia is on the disabled list. His performance in camp will likely determine how much of a role he’ll really play, but if nothing else this is another indication they aren’t going to make a bigger splash to replace the injured Pedroia.